1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flat discharge panel in which the main discharge is induced by electrons diffusing from the auxiliary discharge, and to a method of driving the flat discharge panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A prior-art flat discharge panel has the fundamental construction as shown by the sectional view of FIG. 1. An auxiliary discharge space 2 is formed between an auxiliary anode 13 and a cathode 3. A main discharge space 7 is formed by a space in an insulating plate 6 between the cathode 3 and an anode 9. These spaces are, of course, filled with a well known discharge gas. The discharge space consisting of the auxiliary discharge space 2 and the main discharge space 7, is a part which corresponds to a picture element for displaying a letter, character, numeral or television picture. Numeral 8 designates a phosphor which is applied on the side wall of the insulating plate 6 in the main discharge space. In order to display, for example, a television picture by such discharge spaces, predetermined voltages for effecting a discharge in the respective discharge spaces and for scanning due to the transfer of the discharge by the cathodes 3 are impressed on the respective electrodes. That is, a D.C. voltage I, having a magnitude of 250 volts, is applied from a terminal S through a resistor R.sub.S to the auxiliary anode 13. A pulse voltage II, having an amplitude of 100 volts, is applied from a terminal K to the cathode 3. A pulse voltage III, having an amplitude of 120 volts, is applied from a terminal A through a resistor R.sub.A to the anode 9. By the voltage applied between the auxiliary anode 13 and the cathode 3, plasma is produced in the auxiliary discharge space 2. Ions, principally, in the plasma diffuse into the main discharge space 7, and a main discharge is created. The creation of the main discharge is effected by the secondary discharge mechanism in which the secondary electrons generated by the diffusing ions are the initial electrons at the beginning of the main discharge. For this reason, transitional characteristics of the main discharge such as formative lag and time lag must still be improved. Further problems are the energy efficiency of the discharge, the quantity of ultraviolet rays to be radiated, and the efficiency of the phosphor excitation attributable to the small quantity of radiation.
Also, as a driving method for performing the scanning in the display device as shown in FIG. 1, there is employed the self-scanning method (the method of transferring the glow discharge forming the auxiliary discharge as is generally adopted in the devices of this type.) The outline of the self-scanning method will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 which illustrates only the electrode arrangement of the prior-art device. The auxiliary discharge glow created by the voltage applied between the auxiliary anode 13 and the cathode 3 is transferred by the potentials of the cathodes 3 or K.sub.R, K.sub.1,K.sub.2 . . . . The device is of the cathode transfer type in which, as illustrated in FIG. 2, one of the cathodes 3 located at one end is a resetting cathode K.sub.R. Cathodes K.sub.1 K.sub.4, K.sub.7 . . . K.sub.2,K.sub.5,K.sub.8 . . . and K.sub.3,K.sub.6,K.sub.9 . . . of the remaining cathodes K.sub.1,K.sub.2,K.sub.3 . . . are respectively commonly connected in three-phase connection, and the auxiliary discharge glow is successively transferred by impressing a reset pulse on a resetting cathode terminal K.sub..phi..sub.R and pulses on terminals K.sub..phi..sub.1, K.sub..phi..sub.2 and K.sub..phi..sub.3 of the respective phases. In order to raise the scanning speed with this prior-art driving method, the glow discharge must be intensified by making the auxiliary discharge current large. However, even when the auxiliary discharge current is made large, the luminance in the main discharge space does not increase. The luminous efficiency of the overall device is, therefore, lowered.